Nursery World - Down on the farm

Use a variety of small-world role-play activities to extend children's learning about farm animals Starting points

Starting points

* Visit a real or city farm or introduce the theme through fiction and non-fiction books (see Resources, pages 18-19).

* Remember many children have little or no experience of farms, and so may be unaware that milk comes from cows.

* There should be much to explore without having to address the fact that farm animals are a main source of food.

* Take photographs of your visit and record all the animal sounds you can.

Small world

* Build a play farm with the children. Use the opportunity to talk about the purpose of the gates, fences, barns and other farm buildings. Talk about the animals' 'homes' and introduce vocabulary such as sty, stable, coop, pen, cow shed, paddock and field. Explain that many farm animals stay in the fields all summer and are brought inside only for the winter.

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